SERVES 4 TO 5
This recipe is from Juana González, the alcaldesa (mayoress) of the small but very important wine-producing town of Pedrosa de Duero. It is a recipe that her mother prepared at Christmas, and now she does, in an old terracotta cazuela blackened from years of use. The recipe calls for an authentic pollo de corral, a large free-range, corn-fed chicken. These birds might take longer to stew, but their flavors are deeper. Watch that the sauce doesn’t dry out during stewing.
1. Clean the chicken, remove the skin, and trim any excess fat. Cut it into 10 pieces following the directions on page 336. Season with salt and pepper.
2. In a cazuela, heavy casserole, large sauté pan, or deep skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the bread and garlic and cook until each is golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and reserve. Add the chicken and brown in single-layer batches that don’t crowd the pan, 6 to 8 minutes per batch. Transfer to a platter and cover to keep warm.
3. In the same oil, prepare a sofrito: Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the bell peppers and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and cook until darker and pasty, 10 to 15 minutes. Add water if needed to keep it from drying out.
4. Return the chicken to the pan. Add the brandy and cook uncovered, turning the chicken over a couple of times, for 2 minutes to let the alcohol burn off. Add 1½> cups/360 ml water, partly cover the cazuela, and simmer over low heat for 1 hour.
5. Meanwhile, prepare a picada with the reserved garlic and bread, the almonds, parsley, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of the simmering liquid from the cazuela, following the directions on page 39.
6. Loosen the picada with 3 to 4 tablespoons water and stir it into the chicken. Cover the cazuela and cook until the sauce has thickened and the chicken is tender, about 45 minutes. Stir in water if needed to keep the sauce loose, or remove the lid to let it evaporate if watery. Serve from the cazuela.